Share your voice The first 3D-printed heart made up of living human cells 0 So your resting heart rate is normal — now what? Congrats! A normal RHR reading is definitely a good thing, but if you’re monitoring it for fitness or wellness-related reasons, it’s not the only thing to pay attention to. That’s because “normal” doesn’t necessarily equal “healthy.” In fact, in a recent study, middle-aged men who had a RHR of 75 bpm or higher at the start of the study were twice as likely to die over the next 11 years, compared to men with a RHR of 55 or below. “Ideally, you want your resting heart rate to be somewhere between 50 and 70 bpm,” says Haythe. “But I don’t think that people need to be obsessively checking.” Once a month is totally fine. “Something also very important is how quickly your heart rate comes down after you exercise,” Haythe said. “We want to see that your heart rate is slow at rest, that it increases appropriately with exercise, and that it comes down quickly after aerobic activity — within a few minutes.” Regardless of which method you use, when trying to gauge how healthy you are, one thing is certain: Any results should be considered alongside other metrics, like blood pressure and cholesterol, in consultation with your doctor, especially if you notice changes over time.The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives. 1:28 If you’re not particularly fit and your RHR is consistently below 60 beats per minute, you may have bradycardia, which can be accompanied by lightheadedness, dizziness, or chest discomfort. “A slow heart rate can likewise mean many different things,” says Haythe. “It could be completely normal, a sign of excellent physical fitness, or it could signify a heart problem. If your resting heart rate is significantly below 60 and you don’t feel well, you should go to the doctor and get an EKG.” Read more: How to get the most out of the Apple Watch heart rate features Factors that affect resting heart rate When measuring your RHR, keep in mind that there are a number of things that can affect your reading, including: Age: RHR can decrease with age, according to some studies.Gender: On average, women’s RHR tends to be two to seven beats per minute higher than men’s.Air temperature: RHR can increase during hot weather, but usually not more than 10 bpm.Emotions: Strong feelings of stress, anxiety, or even happiness can raise your RHR.Body position: RHR can be 3 bpm higher when sitting versus lying down. Similarly, RHR tends to increase a bit upon standing.Medication: Prescription drugs like antidepressants and beta blockers can cause your RHR to be higher or lower than it would if you weren’t taking the medication. Apple Watch gets FDA-cleared EKG features 9 Photos Post a comment Now playing: Watch this: Getty Images Pulse taking is an ancient technique, dating back thousands of years, but these days you’d almost never know it. Long gone are the days of placing two fingers against your neck while watching the clock. Now, measuring your resting heart rate is as easy as firing up a smartphone app or saying, “Siri, what’s my heart rate?” The ease at which you can detect your resting heart rate — and track it over time — has led to a sort of heart-rate renaissance among non-medical professionals, with everyone from health nuts to fitness fanatics trying to use it to their advantage. But the wealth of resting heart rate data available literally at your fingertips doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know how to interpret it. Below, a primer that will help get you up to speed before you next doctor’s appointment. Read more: The best iPhone and Apple Watch health devices for checking blood pressure, heart rate and more | This might be the number-one way to track your fitness What’s a normal resting heart rate? Resting heart rate (RHR) — the number of times your heart beats per minute at rest — is a quick way to gauge how efficiently your heart is working. What’s considered normal can vary widely from person to person, but in general, your RHR should fall between 60 and 100 beats per minute. If your RHR is consistently above 100 beats per minute (a condition known as tachycardia), you should consult a doctor, especially if you’re experiencing other symptoms, such as chest tightness, fatigue or shortness of breath. A high resting heart (ie >100 bpm) can mean many things,” says cardiologist Jennifer Haythe, MD, co-director of Columbia Women’s Heart Center. “You may be dehydrated, have a poor level of physical fitness, or it could be a sign of something more serious with your heart or lungs.” Related: Does Orangetheory Fitness work for muscle toning and weight loss? Tags Wellnessread more

Donald Trump, Kim Jong-UnUS president Donald Trump said Saturday that diplomatic efforts with North Korea have consistently failed, adding that “only one thing will work.”Trump has engaged in an escalating war of words with North Korean strongman Kim Jong-Un, trading insults amid rising tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals.”Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid,” Trump tweeted.It “hasn’t worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of US negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!”Trump returned to the theme when he appeared on former governor Mike Huckabee’s show on Trinity Broadcasting Network television on Saturday, blaming previous administrations for not having adequately addressed the issue before.This “should have been handled 25 years ago, it should have been handled 10 years ago, it should haven been handled during the Obama administration,” the president said, referring to his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama.The US has not ruled out the use of force to compel Pyongyang to halt missile and nuclear tests, and Trump has threatened to destroy the country.The mercurial American president also told journalists at a recent gathering with military leaders to discuss Iran, North Korea and the Islamic State group that the current period “could be the calm before the storm,” declining to clarify his remarks.In recent days, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson flew home from meeting with top Chinese officials, Trump tweeted that his envoy was “wasting his time” in trying to probe North Korea’s willingness to talk.- Insults and threats -The message came after Tillerson had revealed there were backchannels between US and North Korean officials.Secretary of Defence James Mattis later expressed support for the diplomatic track in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.”The Defense Department supports fully Secretary Tillerson’s efforts to find a diplomatic solution, but remains focused on defense of the United States and our allies,” Mattis said.In his debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea if it threatens the US or any of its allies, deriding Kim as “Rocket Man” and warning he is on a “suicide mission.”Kim responded by calling Trump a “mentally deranged dotard.”Trump’s administration has also been at the forefront of a drive to impose a series of sanctions against North Korea in response to its sixth nuclear test — the largest yet — and the firing of two missiles over Japan.North Korea’s main economic partner China has signed up to the sanctions, including restrictions on imports, as has Russia.The United States fought a bloody conflict in Korea from 1950-1953 that ultimately ended in stalemate and the continued division of the peninsula after hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops entered on the side of the north, turning it into a war of attrition.A renewed military conflict on the Korean peninsula would come with devastating consequences: in addition to its nuclear weapons, North Korea has a conventional arsenal that could wreak havoc on the South Korean capital Seoul, which is located near the “demilitarized zone” dividing the two countries.read more

The Welch FoundationDr. Jeffrey Rimer at work in the lab at the University of Houston.In the last 30 years, not much has changed in terms of drug treatment for kidney stones. But that could be about to change.University of Houston researcher Dr. Jeffrey Rimer and his colleagues have identified a substance that could potentially reduce kidney stone growth by 90 percent. And they’ve found some potential new molecules that could dissolve stones — or prevent them from forming altogether.The Welch FoundationDr. Jeffrey Rimer (left) works in the lab at the University of Houston.Kidney stones form when the body has trouble clearing crystal-forming substances from the kidneys, such as calcium oxalate or uric acid. Or sometimes substances that prevent crystals from sticking together are absent from the urine. Either way, once crystals form and grow larger, they can become painful obstructions of urine flow.Now, Rimer and his partners have found that the compound hydroxycitrate significantly impedes stones from growing. Hydroxycitrate is a natural component of the fruit garcinia cambogia (also known as the Malabar tamarind). If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s already being sold as a supplement that’s gotten a lot of press for possible weight loss benefits.Such supplements are not studied and approved by the FDA, but, because garcinia cambogia is already on shelves, that means Rimer’s partners at NYU have already been able to start some clinical trials involving it. Once ingested, they wanted to find out whether hydroxycitrate would make it to the kidneys intact. So far, the studies have shown it does.The Welch FoundationDr. Jeffrey Rimer (right) works in the lab at the University of Houston.Dr. Rimer is quick to point out that it’s still far too early for anyone to run out and start taking garcinia cambogia to prevent kidney stone growth. More clinical studies are needed to determine what the best dosage would be, potential side effects, and other factors.When it comes to developing a drug that could treat existing kidney stones — or prevent them from forming in the first place — Rimer and his associates have come across some molecules that could potentially dissolve stones or that might inhibit nucleation, which is the very first step of a crystal forming.For his work, Rimer was recently awarded The Welch Foundation’s Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research. Shareread more

The location of the accident (Image: INRIX/Google) For the latest live breaking news, traffic and travel information and weather from Stoke-on-Trent, North Staffordshire and South Cheshire, visit today’s live news service here. For the latest news from Leek , Cheadle and the rest of the Staffordshire Moorlands, visit the Post and Times homepage at leek-news.co.uk Get the biggest Daily stories by emailSubscribeSee our privacy noticeThank you for subscribingSee our privacy noticeCould not subscribe, try again laterInvalid EmailUPDATE: THIS ACCIDENT HAS NOW CLEARED A country road is partially blocked following an accident on a Staffordshire Moorlands road this morning. The accident has taken place on Lockwood Road, near Kingsley Holt, between Chapel Lane and B5417 Oakamoor Road, according to traffic data monitoring company INRIX. Traffic is moving slowly and there are reports of debris on the road as well as a fuel spillage. A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: “There is an RTC on Lockwood Road, Kingsley Holt. “Debris and fuel in the road. Cars can pass with caution. Please avoid the area if possible.” The accident is believed to have taken place at around 10am and the incident is ongoing as of publication. It is unclear if anyone has been seriously injured in the accident – and we will bring you an update when the road has been cleared. Read MoreTESCO ROBBERY LATEST: Two robbers attacked worker on cigarette counter before stealing cashread more